President Obama has really been able to disrupt the negative trend in US–Arab relations, says political analyst from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Aleksandr Pikaev.
“By starting his Middle East trip at the birthplace of Islam, Saudi Arabia, and not in Israel, which is very unusual for a president of the US, Barack Obama wanted to show not only his respect to the holy Arab places, but to America’s, if not ally, then most important partner in the Arab world – Saudi Arabia.”